5 Facts I Discovered When Riding Jeepneys

Jeepney is the most popular means of public transportation. I bet there are only few of the Philippine population who do not ride jeepneys because: (1) they are moneyed enough to afford Bugatti Veyron; (2) they are blah-blah yadda-yadda. I couldn’t think of any at the moment but I know there are lots. I’ll update this someday or you can make some comments for this one. 🙂

Riding jeepneys everyday has brought numerous anecdotes to me. Mixed emotions are felt when I’m inside. I anticipate the scenario. Will I get mad? Will I laugh hard? Will my seatmate smell terrible? Will the jeepney driver ask for overindulgence fare? Well based from my own experience, I gather 7 facts I learned when riding jeepneys.

1. The seats are on a first-come-first-serve basis. It doesn’t matter if your destination is the nearest. As long as you came late at the terminal, you’ll get the worst seat. Worst seat means lesser space, farthest from the jeepney entrance and behind others baggage and stuffs.

2. Jeepney drivers and passengers are mortal enemies. Jeepney drivers and LTO officers are mortal enemies. LTO officers and passengers are mortal enemies.

3. The 10-seater can accommodate 11 persons while the 9-seater can hold 10 or more passengers.

4. Sitting near the jeep entrance may lead you to “assault”. I suppose many of us encounter Badjaos who sing and give you envelope for donation. Personally, I prefer sitting near the opening so that I could get off the jeepney right away. Suddenly the Badjao came with her improvise drum. She gave us envelope with a letter asking for some donations and start singing like their usual routine. And like the passengers routine, they (we) gave back the envelope. The little Badjao begin saying unknown words and I bet those are curse and profane words. Then, before leaving the jeep she thumped the thigh of the person near the entrance. That was me.

5. The irony. Usually when you’re in a hurry, you’ll be getting a driver who refills his tank first, stop over to put money on jueteng lady or drop by to a hardware store to buy light bulbs. When you’re not in a hurry, you’ll be having a driver who’s like being chased by Death’s Advocate.

Reality Bites

I believe we’re all pretty aware how reality shows conquer the television scene. Probably you won’t be surprised with the amounts playing on these television shows and how these fetch profit and popularity to the giant networks.

Are you wondering why Filipinos react and get affected so badly with reality shows? Why are we hooked on those so called 5-month famers and instant celebrities?

Studies say that the more status-oriented people are, the more likely they are to view reality television and report pleasure and enjoyment. People who are motivated by status have an above-average need to feel self-important. Reality television may gratify this psychological need in two ways. One possibility is that viewers feel they are more important (have higher status) than the ordinary people portrayed on reality television shows.

The idea that these are “real” people gives psychological significance to the viewers’ perceptions of superiority—it may not matter much if the storyline is realistic, so long as the characters are ordinary people. Further, the message of reality television – that millions of people are interested in watching real life experiences of ordinary people—implies that ordinary people are important. Ordinary people can watch the shows, see people like themselves, and fantasize that they could gain celebrity status by being on television.

For better understanding, I’ll give 5 reality shows in the Philippines. Well, to be really honest I’m captivated by two of the shows below.

1. Pinoy Big Brother.

“Hello Philippines! Hello World!” I bet only few Filipinos don’t know the welcoming line of Toni Gonzaga every time PBB is on live airing. Together with Mariel Rodriguez and Bianca Gonzalez, the show always has exceptionally high ratings. The uniqueness of the personalities of every housemate affects a lot of viewers. I guess the audience see themselves on one of the housemate or a combination of two or more. I remember the time when PBB Season 2 was aired, an elder in our community died of heart attack because of the show. Whew. Knowing how Filipinos really love entertainment, reality TV tops the industry. It gives no surprise after all.

2. Starstruck.

StarStruck is a contest for teens that has the most number of fans and X-factor. If I’m not mistaken, StarStruck is the first “artista search”.  The talent search put lots of ordinary teenagers to stardom with the theme: “Dream. Believe. Survive.”.

3. Pinoy Fear Factor.

“Tres. Dos. Uno. Vamos!” is the famous line of Ryan Agoncillo as the first Pinoy Fear Factor host signaling the players to start the game. The final match was a battle between Janna Dominguez and Jommy Teotico and the latter won.

4. Talentadong Pinoy.

For those who are not familiar with this one, this reality show is about looking for a unique talent whether in the form of acting, singing, dancing, juggling, yoyo tricks, puppet plays and contortionism. Talentadong Pinoy is also hosted by Ryan Agoncillo. The show won several awards like Best Talent Show from the 1st MTRCB Awards for TV and Best Talent Search Program for Philippine Movie Press Club.

5. Survivor Philippines.

The show is a battle among the 12 castaways isolated in a private island and the toughest one will win. Survivor Philippines was hosted by Paolo Bediones who’s also known for hosting Extra Challenge which lasted for 7 years. “PAUTAKAN! PAGALINGAN! PATATAGAN!” is the tagline of the show.

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6. Others. Yeah, right. I said a while ago I’m going to give you 5 but as of now a lot of reality shows are coming soon on your television screens. Pilipinas Got Talent which is originally from America’s Got Talent and Biggest Loser in Asia are just plain examples. Plus, if you’re one of the fans out there, certainly you can’t wait for the next seasons of the 5 mentioned above.

Reality (shows’ effect really) bites.

Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

– Frank Visco

Reference: http://nisonger.osu.edu/papers/Reisswiltz_2004.pdf